Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times and the Critique of Industrialization

Introduction: Chaplin and the Age of Modernity

With industrialization came a whole slew of social, economic, and political problems in America. Migration increased as people from other parts of the world came to the land of the free seeking opportunities. Urban squalor increased as those opportunities were loaded with pitfalls and traps. Machines replaced human labor in many ways, and people without skills often went without work. Most movies in Hollywood at the time focused on providing distractions from all these problems: the silent films of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd did not delve into social commentary on the problem of modernity. But one comic actor of the silent era did produce films that could be called critiques of modern times — in fact, he even starred in a film entitled Modern Times that both lamented modernization and drew attention to "class disadvantage."¹ That actor was Charlie Chaplin.

Chaplin used a light form of humor in filmmaking to aid in government and industrialization satire. He poked fun through his films at how modernization and automation were not best for the average citizen.² Ultimately, Chaplin's point of view and concerns over the culture of dehumanizing industries were conveyed in a comical yet truthful manner.

Why Chaplin Critiqued Modern Times

What set Chaplin apart from others, and why did he critique modernity in films like Modern Times? One explanation is that Chaplin recognized the threat to his own career that modernity represented: the first "talkie" film, The Jazz Singer, came out in 1927 and threatened to revolutionize cinema.³ Chaplin produced silent comedies and was a silent film star. If "talkies" took over Hollywood, his celebrity and status would be displaced by others. Thus, one reason Chaplin critiqued modernity was that he took it personally as a threat.

At the same time, Chaplin was an actor, producer, writer, and director who knew how to give audiences what they wanted. He saw that jazz was very popular with audiences and had widespread appeal during the Great Depression because it enlivened things and brought joy to people's lives.⁴ People wanted distraction during a time when so many were downtrodden. It was the Great Depression in America when Chaplin was at his greatest, and he produced light-hearted comedies centered on his "tramp" persona — a destitute, penniless, clownish character who was often in over his head facing some predicament but who tended to come out on top in the end.

Chaplin also understood how audiences were specifically affected by the Great Depression. Many people in America had lost jobs, homes, and loved ones, and were in despair. He knew that one of the big causes of all this loss was the people leading the nation. The barons of industry had put profits before people, and it was now hurting society. As a writer, Chaplin wanted to reflect common people's own issues in film but in a light manner so that the comedies could still give people some enjoyment and take them out of their pain for a moment.⁵

Personal Experience and the Dehumanizing Effects of Industry

Chaplin also saw industry as dehumanizing. He had experienced the fallout of modernization directly in his own life.⁶ His father had abandoned the Chaplin family when Charlie was still young, and this shaped much of his adulthood; Chaplin was always getting into trouble, suffered from depression, and had control issues throughout his career.⁷ At the root of these problems was the lack of a solid and foundational family life. Charlie himself was divorced multiple times, and his own parents were separated. The family unit in his life was unstable, and this was seen as one of the effects of modernity, in which families were disintegrated and torn apart.⁸

Modernity led to the first of the great wars — World War One — which introduced new weapons and harmed an entire generation. It also led to a riotous style of living in the 1920s, which then resulted in a great collapse at the end of that decade. The Great Depression followed, and America was in a bad state. Chaplin could have given up like many Americans did, but he wanted to keep making films that would entertain people and lift them up while also acknowledging the struggles everyone was going through.⁹

Conclusion: Reclaiming Humanity Through Chaos

In conclusion, Chaplin saw the modern industrialized world as one causing chaos in the everyday lives of people. His comedy turned the situation around and let him bring chaos to the modern industry — as his character does in Modern Times. He ends up wreaking havoc on assembly lines all over town. The point of this was to help audiences rediscover a little of their humanity in an age that had dehumanized them.

Works Cited

Berish, Andrew. "Great Depression, the." Grove Music Online. 25 Jul. 2013.

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Faure, Elie. "The Art of Charlie Chaplin." New England Review (1990–) 19, no. 2 (spring 1998): 146–151. JSTOR.

Howe, Lawrence. "Charlie Chaplin in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction: Reflexive Ambiguity in 'Modern Times.'" College Literature 40, no. 1 (winter 2013): 45–65. JSTOR.

Kuriyama, Constance Brown. "Chaplin's Impure Comedy: The Art of Survival." Film Quarterly 45, no. 3 (spring 1992): 26–38. JSTOR.

Weissman, Stephen M. "Charlie Chaplin's Film Heroines." Film History 8, no. 4 (1996): 439–445. JSTOR.